Accelerating Continual Improvement Think Tank (CI2TT)
Chair: Lars Sörqvist
Vice-Chair: Gregory H. Watson
 | Purpose: Develop an improved methodology for structured analysis of performance issues in both product and service deliverables as well as the end-to-end processes that produce them. The focus areas for this IAQ Think Tank are on development of standard mental models and modernizing the analytical methods that are used to support these models so they are aligned with the current maturity level of quality thinking. |
History
The CI2 Think Tank was established in 2014 in response to a request from the European Organization for Quality that IAQ conduct an inquiry into the standardization of the Lean Six Sigma methodology that could be applied for their personal registration scheme. Investigation of the methods applied in both teaching and applying this methodology it was evident that not only was there no standard method for structured problem-solving but that many academic disciplines developed their own mental models for the same process; however, these models all tended to apply the same set of analytical tools for the conduct of their inquiries. Thus, the charter changed from standardizing the Lean Six Sigma method to the development of a common structured approach for continual improvement that would accelerate its adaptation across all industries, sectors, professions, and cultures. After development and publication of the Continual Improvement Process model in 2017, application of the model through the International Trade Center’s Global Quality Program was conducted during 2017-2019 in the following African nations: The Gambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Ethiopia as a second phase. During 2022 a third phase of this think tank program will commence focused on upgrading the analytical tools applied based on the pragmatic lessons learned.
Membership
Bjorn Andersen, Jeroen De
Mast, Tani Järvinen, Markku Nieminen, Paulo Sampaio, Pedro Saraiva, Lars
Sörqvist, and Gregory H. Watson.
Future Plans
The CI2 Think Tank is now soliciting Academicians to participate in the third phase of its work which will be conducted in two increments. In the first updated methods for risk and failure analysis, exploratory data analysis, and causal inquiry will be developed and published as academic papers. During the second increment, the work of the CI2 Think Tank will be merged with that of the Quality4.0 Think Tank to define approaches for incorporation of methods using Big Data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) into the overall CI2 process model for both analysis of issues and innovation for products, services and processes.
Important Publications